The man in Chapter 1 is described as “an extra-ordinary looking man” who is “deformed” but “cannot be described”. But his appearance gives strange reactions, “so ugly that it brought out the sweat on me like running”. Also he gives off such an amount of evil that all hate him, “every time he looked at my prisoner, I saw that Sawbones turn sick and white with desire to kill him”.
Throughout the story the reader is never actually told what Mr Hyde looks like. This is because the reader is meant to think that decent people instinctively know that there is something morally wrong with him. Stevenson makes him seem less than a fully evolved human, more comparable to animals than the rest of mankind, with imagery as the "hissing intake of breath" in the second chapter. Stevenson often emphasizes Hyde’s deform ness with "pale and dwarfish . . . deformity . . . husky. ... murderous." We are told that Hyde brings "disgust and loathing and fear”. He is even described as having a ‘displeasing smile’ and a ‘ghastly face’, but we are never told precisely how he looks,
The setting plays an important part in the build up of tension. The way Stevenson describes the door at the beginning creates a lot of tension. He describes it as “blistered and dismatches on the panels”.
It is important to a reader that a child was trampled on because children are seen as innocent and vulnerable. The effect on the reader from hearing that the child was trampled on brings out hatred towards Mr Hyde and a sense that he is insensitive for not having the same feelings as the readers after trampling on the child.
The place which begins Mr Enfield’s story is described as merely an anonymous street in London, whose shop fronts "like rows of smiling women" have a brightness that stands out in contrast to the ‘dingy neighbourhood’. And still on this street, two doors from the corner, stands a dreary, gothic house, which "bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence." The description of the street in the first chapter reinforces this theme of duality.
This duality is shown by the two houses and the contrast to their neighbourhoods. This description of the place with the door, Hyde’s accommodation adds to the thought that he is dangerous and has something to hide. Hyde place is bleak, neglected, and low on a street which it stands out among thriving, well-kept, and prosperous commercial structures. Jekyll’s house has a natural duality: congenial, prosperous, respectable, as well as threatening, mysterious, and sinister. Enfield decides not to mention the matter again making the reader immediately want to know more.
In the second chapter, Search for Mr Hyde, the contents of Dr Jekyll’s Will gives the reader the impression that Dr Jekyll is being controlled or blackmailed. With words such as ‘friend and benefactor’ the reader feels some sarcasm here. This adds to the readers distrust and anger towards Mr Hyde, and creates pity and sympathy for Dr Jekyll, who up to now has been seen as a good man. When the will said about Dr. Jekyll "disappearance or unexplained absence for any period exceeding three calendar months”, then Hyde would take his place. This would be suspicious to the reader who would be wandering why Jekyll would disappear and become inclined to think that Hyde would have something that could force Jekyll to write this.
The consequential meanings associated with the word ‘disappearance’ are to cease to be seen, to be gone from or no longer be seen in a place without any explanation, to cease to exist.
The theme of duality is also marked by the symbolic nature of the name, Hyde. Hyde comes from the more familiar word hide, and stands for the hidden aspects of Jekyll as shown by Mr. Hyde. In Chapter 2, Mr. Utterson says that "If he shall be Mr. Hyde . . . I shall be Mr Seek” this shows that the author is using a play on words to enhance the intrigue.
The soundscape of the two chapters: Church bells chiming, a child screaming, footsteps etc. They all contribute to the sensory experience that goes along with the reading of the text and disquiets the reader.
In Chapter 3 Jekyll is described as a "smooth-faced man of fifty with something of a stylish cast” and ‘but every mark of capacity and kindness’ shows that Jekyll’s hypocritical character has left its mark on his features. The effect of this description shows the duality of Jekyll’s nature.
Sir Danvers Carew was a respected member of London society. He is seen as part of the good in the world who is ‘a beautiful gentleman with white hair’. In the forefront of this scene is the maid’s description of a horrific murder, but in the background is the description of the setting: the soft, clear night,
the romantic nature of the maid, the full moon, and the sweetness of the old man. The scene together with the brutal events is another example of Stevenson’s use of duality and the theme of good versus evil. Once again, the maids description of Hyde, stresses the basic knowledge that he is a bad person and that all of society knows of someone’s wickedness from only their looks, ‘particularly small and particularly wicked looking.’ Throughout the book Hyde’s individual features are never described; instead we learn that he is short and "disgusting looking”. This description shows Stevenson’s view of human being: that from birth we are inherit ants of evil.
In the Incident of the letter, is again the theme of duality. Here the contrast is between Utterson and Jekyll. On the surface, both are well-respected men of the community. But Jekyll’s defence of Hyde and the falseness of the letter stand in sharp contrast to Utterson’s search for the truth. In this chapter Jekyll is described as ‘looking deathly sick’ and welcomed Utterson with a ‘cold hand.’
The change by Dr Lanyon in The Incident of Dr. Lanyon is where for the first time the reader and Mr. Utterson understand the severity of Jekyll’s secret. The description of Dr Lanyon is now very different. “I had a shock and I shall never recover”, and Utterson says “he had his death-warrant written upon his face.” This increases the suspense to understand what the secret is and why it could be that drastic. Also, reference is again made to the “disappearance of Dr. Jekyll”, something that is quite strange to the reader.
About a year on from the opening Chapter is The Incident at the Window. He describes three dusty windows barred with iron" A year ago, however, Mr. Enfield described the same windows from the outside as "always shut but they’re clean”. This is symbolic as it shows how Jekyll has imprisoned himself from the rest of the world. The two men’s reactions from seeing Dr Jekyll is shocking to the reader ‘They were both pale; and there was an answering horror in their eyes’.
In the Last Night the body of Hyde is found instead of Jekyll’s. Hyde is now capable of taking over Jekyll. Hyde at first was not a threat, ‘Mr Hyde was pale and dwarfish’. Hyde slowly takes more and more control, ‘The body of Hyde has grown in stature’. Jekyll loses control, Hyde surfaces and takes over. 'I had gone to bed Henry Jekyll, I had awakened as Edward Hyde.' Jekyll has now lost on self-control from changing into Hyde. There is only one way out for Jekyll and this is to take his own life. This shows how the secrecy of the novel allows the evil side of man to grow and to take over goodness and suggests that evil will eventually dominate the respectable side of man.
Another important symbol in this chapter is the key to the laboratory. The importance of this key has been emphasized throughout the book. Hyde has the key; therefore, he holds the key to the mystery. In this chapter, the full name of Mr. Utterson is also revealed: John Gabriel Utterson. Gabriel is one of the four archangels. John, Utterson’s middle name, is shared by: John the Baptist and the Apostle John who wrote Revelations. Utterson here is now showing his dangerous side, and in a way, he is fulfilling his desires to do something with ‘high pressured spirits’.
In the final two chapters the narration turns to the first person accounts of Dr Lanyon and Dr Jekyll. This is done with the intention that throughout the book the reader has either no idea of the ending, or has made up their conclusions. Whichever way the reader is full of suspense. Because of this layout, the reader is kept waiting until the very end of the story before they can make sense of what has been happening. This is why the structure creates tension.
Throughout this chapter, Stevenson shifts in alternating points of view, from first-person narrative to third person. This shows Jekyll is using language to put as much distance himself and his "other" as he can. In 'Jekyll's Full Statement of the Case' he also admits that what were his 'undignified pleasures' now turned towards the 'monstrous'; he was now loosing control of his sense of morality.
The language throughout refers constantly to darkness, evil and religion. Utterson drinks gin to 'mortify a taste for vintages' although there is no specific reference to death, the reader immediately associates the word subconsciously thus adding to the build up of atmosphere.
Every character seems to have an exterior that they are not. Jekyll doesn't enjoy being a doctor; he wants to be evil without spoiling his reputation. Utterson seems like a well-respected lawyer. An upstanding pillar of the community. Yet he has an unhealthy envy towards the crimes of his clients; “some times wondering, almost with envy, at the high presents of sprits in his clients misdeeds”
It looks as though that in Hyde, you have no Jekyll, but in Jekyll there is always some Hyde. But a question then arises: Why would Hyde, who loves evil, be so eager for the potion that will turn him into Jekyll, his drearier self? The answer could be that Hyde is not all-pure evil, he has some conscious.
The way Stevenson reveals Mr Hyde to us makes a lot of tension. He keeps on building up the character by revealing bits about him here and there throughout the story. This brings him across as a very strange and mysterious character.
The suspense starts when it gives a description of the door, which makes you think what is behind the door. When the little man tramples over the little girl, it makes you think why he did it and if he has a mental problem. The description of Hyde shows suspense because his description so horrific they cannot talk about it. Suspense is also shown because Mr Utterson cannot get to sleep because of this monster Hyde. The tension is mounting because Utterson knows that Hyde is a cruel and vicious character. The question is why is Jekyll connected with Hyde. It builds up when Mr Utterson is standing waiting for Hyde to come out to the door. This engages your mind to try to guess what Hyde looks like. When he does not appear you feel even more curious of what he looks like. When the story says" there was a shudder in his blood" this shows suspense because you want to know what is so disturbing.
Jekyll didn't want to face his dark side and control it, he takes the easy way out but splitting his soul and having two separate live both the extreme opposite of the other. Stevenson is trying to show the reader that this is the wrong way to do things because Jekyll dies and commits murder as well. Stevenson is telling us that we have to live with our dark side, restrain it and control it so we can live a civil and peaceful life. Jekyll doesn't want to do this so he releases his dark side and he cannot control the power of it and ends up dying because of it. This is a warning from Stevenson to the reader not to take the easy way out. It also proves that Stevenson wants the reader to judge Jekyll harshly as he was weak and took the "cowards" path out, which lead to his death.
Although Jekyll seems to have no control over Hyde, once he has transformed, it is Jekyll's original attitude towards evil in the first place, which brings him trouble. He sees the ability to lose moral control and be free from the ties of society as a kind of liberation, which is why the transformation into Mr Hyde is so appealing to him. It is not that he has no regard to society as a whole, or he wouldn’t need to turn into Hyde, but that he cannot tolerate that certain behaviour is prohibited. By becoming Hyde, Jekyll can follow his wildest imaginations without worrying about the consequences.
